It's not exam season at school yet, but we're pulling out the red pen for the top rookies of the NHL. One month into the season, we're seeing how their starts stack up against one another and where they might go from here.

Sometimes a rookie takes a while to find his feet, whether this plays out as a hot start that cools off, a slow start that trends upward, or an inconsistent run of games as he adjusts to playing in the big leagues. 

You could lump players like Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as Ilya Protas of the Washington Capitals, under this label. Frondell had an impressive start, though his pure scoring has not continued; Kantserov in his first five games but starting picking up recently. As a group, they're a pretty good example of the range of rookie experiences.

We'll likely be folding these three into our grading in future updates, so keep an eye out. For now, let's turn our grading scale first to Boston and a former projected first-overall who went seventh.

James Hagens, C, Boston Bruins

Grade: A

Bruins forward James Hagens is currently tied with two others for second in rookie scoring, with 9 points in 13 games (4 goals, 5 assists). His point-per-game pace is also good for second in rookie scoring, at 0.69 points per game. That's all well and good, but the impressive part comes in when we look closer and see that 8 of those points are even-strength points. All of his goals have come at even strength. He's not feasting on special teams opportunities, but grinding away every minute he's out on the ice; it bodes well for how he's adjusting to playing in the NHL full-time.

It's not surprising to hear for those familiar with his play, particularly those who have watched him for a good long while, but it's a better start than probably many expected. He's 5'11", he's still weedy at 180 pounds, but he's consistently throwing himself into the dirty areas of the play. We've seen him as a play driver, a highlight reel goal scorer, someone who processes the game at such a high rate.

It's that processing that helped him realize that he can't rely on those fancy goals or sticking to the perimeter, and once he clocked that he started driving to the net more, and getting inside more. That adaptability is going to serve him very well, and because of that the rest will come.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, Detroit Red Wings

Grade: A-

Winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has had a solid start on a team that is, to put it mildly, in turmoil. He currently sits fifth in rookie scoring, with 8 points (2A, 6G) in 12 games; his point-per-game pace at 0.67 is better than one of the three players tied for second. Brandsegg-Nygard is also averaging about 15:33 per game; the only players on this list with higher average playing times are Cole Hutson and Ivar Stenberg. He's really being relied on, and that seems like it's not going to change any time soon. 

If he continues on his current trajectory, he could end up a dark horse for one of the Calder nominee spots. Obviously we want to see how his play bears out over more games before we make that call, but it's never too early to note potential. He's one of the few Red Wings players consistently bringing physicality and pairing it with offensive production, something the team seems to value.

He's got a bit of a leg up on other rookies who didn't have the time in the league he did last season; between that familiarity and being trusted on the second power-play unit, it's not a stretch to think he could stay on his current path.

Alberts Šmits, D, New York Rangers

Grade: C+

This isn't the start that we wanted to see from Alberts Smits, but part of that is the team itself. It's no surprise that the New York Rangers of late are not precisely a friendly environment for young, newly-developing players. But it says a lot about the perception of Smits that not only is head coach Mike Sullivan praising him even as he is still searching for his first point, but he is also the first 18-year-old defenseman in team history to make the opening night roster (two other 18-year-olds, both forwards, have also done so).

Smits is an incredibly intelligent details guy. He processes the game at a very high level, and that is only going to help him improve his game from here. Making decisions confidently is part of why the mistakes he's making—because he is—haven't been damaging him as much; the mistakes are less costly because of his lack of hesitation. 

With all of this in mind, he's not really being deployed in an ideal way. He's struggling with his current defense partner, Braden Schneider; it would be interesting to see how he does with someone else over an extended period. He's not getting overwhelmed or drowning in his struggles, though, and that bodes well for him adjusting and finding his way through. But the Rangers also can't count on that; they need to utilize him better instead of just saying oh, he'll be fine, and carrying on.

Porter Martone, RW, Philadelphia Flyers

Grade: C+

What is going on in Philadelphia? It's very odd that Porter Martone, of all people, only has 6 points in 15 games and is averaging about 14 minutes per game. Last season they were playing him at around 17 minutes per game and his overall play looked better; maybe there's a lesson to be learned here. Why wouldn't you play such a highly skilled rookie more when your team is doing so poorly? Martone is ostensibly on the "second line", but his playing time doesn't reflect that. 

To be clear: it is, of course, on Martone to find a way to make the minutes that he does play count. This is not all on the Flyers. Utilizing the opportunity in front of you as efficiently as possible is the only path forward in a situation like this. He's been a bit too passive along the boards, and there have been moments where he's lacked urgency; things we called him out for in his draft season that we hoped were shaping up are showing up here and there. His skating suffers when his pace is lacking.

With all that said, the team really needs to put him out there more. The only way out is through, and some players need more time to find consistency. With Martone, taking that chance will be worth it.

Ivar Stenberg, LW, San Jose Sharks

Grade: A-

The only reason this is not a solid A-grade is that we'd really like to see more production from Ivar Stenberg at even strength. Right now he's feasting on the power play—and you know what, good for him. But he's a highly-skilled player and he absolutely has the talent to score at even strength.

Stenberg is one of three players tied for second in rookie scoring with 9 points; unlike the other two, his split is 3 goals and 6 assists. His point-per-game pace is tied with Hagens at 0.69, good for second among rookies. He's a great example of why we don't use plus-minus as an overall judgment metric, because he's a -9 right now and that's not really reflective of how he's played so far this season.

So far 7 of his points have come on the power play, as noted above. It's great that he's being trusted with that top power-play unit time, and it's something that we both hope and expect to see continue. He has been particularly good at identifying and taking high-danger chances, which is not surprising to anyone who has watched him prior to this season. 

Hopefully next time we grade these guys more of his points will be 5-on-5.

Gavin McKenna, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Grade: A

To absolutely no one's surprise, first-overall pick Gavin McKenna is leading all rookies in points with 11 in 15 games at the time of writing. His points-per-game pace is also the highest, at 0.73, and his points are almost evenly split between special teams and even-strength, with 5 power-play points and 6 at even-strength.

Although his average playing time is being dragged down by that Buffalo Sabres game where Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller only played McKenna 6:36 of the entire game, an average ice time of 13:46 is a little silly-feeling for a first-overall pick. Not really sure what that's about, unless it's a rookie load-management decision. That one would be a little easier to swallow. That should be going up pretty soon, though; McKenna just started playing with Auston Matthews on the top line due to Kirill Marchenko's recent injury and Marchenko being ruled week-to-week. 

McKenna has had some struggles through the neutral zone, and with some of his decision-making in general, but that was the kind of adjustment issues that we expected. We're really just looking for him to continue to grow that offensive contribution and find consistency; since we're only a month into the season, no alarm bells are ringing from anyone, but especially not here.

Trevor Connelly, LW, Vegas Golden Knights

Grade: B+

Vegas Golden Knights winger Trevor Connelly is tied for second in rookie scoring with Stenberg and Hagens at 9 points, but with a slightly lower point-per-game pace at 0.67, as he's played 14 games. His 4 goal, 5 assist split is the same as Hagens, and if he continues to play the way he has been so far this season, we fully anticipate him breaking the 20-goal-mark. (It is also entirely possible he cools off and doesn't; it's still early.)

Regardless of his goal totals, Connelly has shown he has the ability to enter the Calder conversation. He's a highly skilled player whose on-ice discipline and decision-making have sometimes limited his offensive impact.

While a month isn't a long time, this start suggests Connelly is letting his skill lead the way. Another encouraging sign: He has no penalty minutes so far. For a player whose on-ice discipline has drawn criticism, that's a positive start.

If Connelly continues on his current trajectory, he'll be the first homegrown talent the Golden Knights have produced rather than traded away in at least six years. They have to feel good about that.

Cole Hutson, D, Washington Capitals

Grade: B+

This is a B+ rather than slightly lower because regardless of his production or any struggles or what have you, Cole Hutson has played 11 games at the time of writing and Jack St. Ivany, who he played with Wednesday night, was his seventh defensive partner. 

Yes, you read that right. His seventh in 11 games.

That's the kind of chaos even the Edmonton Oilers' coaching carousel of the early 2010s couldn't have dreamed up. So the fact that Hutson has five points, is averaging about 19 minutes per game (including four 20+ minute games that have dragged that average up), and the majority of his points are at even strength is going to impress us. 

Ideally, the Capitals will find him a consistent defensive partner soon. It's really hard to judge the ins and outs of his game when he's playing with someone new every night. Hutson is such a special, skilled player, aggressive on offensive and perceptive all over the ice. He'll be able to utilize that much more effectively if he has a consistent partner who can keep up and learn to read him.